Canada PM to Skip Sri Lanka Meeting

There will be an empty spot at the table when the leaders of Commonwealth countries gather in Sri Lanka next month–and possibly a big hole in the group’s finances in the future.

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said he won’t attend the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, citing human-rights violations in Sri Lanka which is hosting the summit this year. He also suggested Ottawa may rethink its funding to the association of countries.

Advertisement

Agence France-Presse/Getty Images

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper in Bali.

“I do this with somewhat of a heavy heart,” Mr. Harper said in Bali, Indonesia, where he announced his no-show at the meeting. Mr. Harper, who is in Bali to attend the annual summit of Asia-Pacific leaders, said Canada “will examine our engagement and our financing of the Commonwealth which is quite considerable to make sure that we are wisely using taxpayers’ dollars.

Canada is the Commonwealth’s second-largest contributor, providing about 20 million Canadian dollars ($19.4 million) annually.

Mr. Harper said in a statement that Canada is “deeply concerned about the situation in Sri Lanka” and that “the absence of accountability for the serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian standards during and after the civil war is unacceptable.”

“Canada believes that if the Commonwealth is to remain relevant it must stand in defense of the basic principles of freedom, democracy, and respect for human dignity, which are the very foundation upon which the Commonwealth was built,” he said.

The leaders’ meeting is held every two years, and provides an opportunity for leaders of the Commonwealth–a group of more than 50 countries, most with historic ties to the U.K–to get together and discuss global issues and Commonwealth issues.

About India Real Time

India Real Time offers analysis and insights into the broad range of developments in business, markets, the economy, politics, culture, sports, and entertainment that take place every single day in the world’s largest democracy. Regular posts from Wall Street Journal and Dow Jones Newswires reporters around the country provide a unique take on the main stories in the news, shed light on what else mattered and why, and give global readers a snapshot of what Indians have been talking about all week. You can contact the editors at indiarealtime(at)wsj(dot)com.